


Green is Not Your Color

by haldoor



Series: All That the Universe Allows [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Homophobic Language, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 12:37:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1510697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show; my own character is featured; some homophobic language initially, and disquiet on Danny's part; this part doesn't exactly feature a happy ever after for Danny<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> I don't own them; I never have. No one pays me, though I wish they would! ;-)<br/><b>Beta:</b> <span class="ljuser i-ljuser i-ljuser-type-P"></span><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://siluria.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://siluria.livejournal.com/"></a><b>siluria</b> has been most generous once again. Any remaining mistakes are my own fault<br/><b>Summary:</b> Danny catches Steve in a compromising position with an unexpected partner one evening, and his view of Steve is suddenly thrown into turmoil<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this some time ago – probably around the end of Season 2, so any references to the show will probably reflect that. Initially Part One (which is in three chapters and from Danny's POV) was all I was intending to write, but there was something about the way it ended that felt unsatisfying, so I came back with Part Two (which is in Steve's POV) a few months later, and then eventually managed to link everything up in Part Three (which alternates POVs between them) to finish on what felt like the right note. The story grew to a way bigger epic than I ever intended, and is probably more angst-filled than anything, so apologies in advance if it's a little disjointed or uneven.

It was still early and Danny thought nothing of slipping around the side of Steve's place when there was no answer at the locked front door. He figured Steve had probably gone for a late swim, and was either still in the water or out on the lanai.

Grinning as he saw the back of Steve's head over the top of a lounger, he started to speak. "Hey, Steve, I thought we could-"

He cut off his words as another person sat up _on top_ of Steve, and looked at him in stunned surprise. Steve pushed the young guy off somewhat less than gently and got quickly to his feet, turning to look wide-eyed at Danny. Both he and the kid were shirtless, and Danny just gaped at them with his mouth open like a fish.

Steve blinked and went into action, grabbing something from the ground and thrusting it at the beautiful boy beside him. "Here, put this on. Jesus..." He grabbed something else, pulling his own t-shirt on faster than he normally took them off. "Hey..." Steve was still focused on his young friend, who'd slowly started to don his own shirt, a pout forming on his pretty face. "C'mon, Pete, just... put your shirt on, then head off, huh? I'll call you later."

"So who's he?" 'Pete' asked, eyeing Danny like he was some kind of threat.

"He's my partner. My _work_ partner. Now go," Steve said, pushing at the kid – until he finally got the picture and moved away from Steve to carefully circle Danny on his way off the property.

And kid he was; Danny figured he couldn't be any more than seventeen or eighteen. Danny turned to watch him leave and then spun back around to give Steve a questioning look.

Steve's expression was wary, embarrassment clearly in there too, but he didn't move, as if he was waiting for Danny to pass judgment before he said anything.

Danny licked his lips, trying to think. He had no idea Steve went for guys, let alone one as young as this 'Pete', and was still trying to slot this new information into what he knew about the man – which now seemed like a lot less than he'd previously thought.

"He's a little young, isn't he?" was the first thing Danny managed.

"He's old enough," Steve offered, still frowning. "Did you want something?"

Danny huffed, dropping his eyes and biting at his lip before shaking his head and looking back at Steve. "I came to ask if you wanted to grab a beer, actually. You told me you were coming home to relax, and I figured I should make sure that wasn't some code for blowing up bad guys. I had no idea that in fact it meant screwing some guy young enough to still be in _high school_."

"Look, Danny, what I do to relax isn't any of your business. And he's not in high school; he's a sophomore at HPU, if you must know. He's twenty and he knows what he's doing. I... I..." Steve stopped talking, turning away and running a hand through his hair.

"Twenty? Okay, okay, none of my business, then." Danny held up his hands and backed up a few steps. "Of course I have to wonder at you never happening to mention that you... uh... were seeing this kid. This very _male_ kid."

Steve spun around again, his face screwed up into a 'what the hell?' expression. "We wouldn't even be having this conversation if it had been a twenty-year-old co-ed, would we?"

Danny's eyebrows shot up and then he scrunched them down again. "Well, no. I-"

"Exactly! This is why I don't tell you about this kind of thing."

"This is not just about that! Well, okay, so you could have knocked me down with a feather about this, but you've never said one word about being into men... or... boys..." He shook his head, knowing he wasn't wording this well, but Steve jumped in before he could say anything else.

"Why don't you just go, Danny?" He'd never seen Steve look quite so disconcerted and angry at the same time. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"And yet you sent him away when I arrived, like you wanted to talk about it."

"If you'd been reasonable about it, yeah, sure. But this? This, I don't need."

Danny took a breath. He hadn't exactly reacted with sympathy. He'd been more than surprised, and although he had no right to claim high moral ground, it was clear why Steve was upset with him. He shouldn't have made the crack about the kid's age for a start. "I'm sorry. I get that I said the wrong thing; I do. And I am sorry about it. But... You surprised me with this. I thought we were friends."

"So did I." Steve's expression lightened, but he still looked hurt.

"Can I come in? You have beer? We could probably both use one. I want to understand, Steve; I'm not trying to judge, despite what I said. I'm sorry I said any of it."

Steve nodded reluctantly and gestured to the lanai door, letting Danny precede him. Neither said anything else until Steve had found them a beer each and he'd sat down at the kitchen table. Normally they'd go into the living area, but clearly Steve wasn't feeling relaxed enough for that, so Danny followed his lead and slid into the chair opposite.

"You don't have to tell me everything about your life, Steven; I absolutely get that," he began, "but sometimes it's like you want to know everything about mine. I've told you a lot; a hell of a lot more than many of my previous colleagues and so-called friends, if you want to know the truth. So this? Of course it's a surprise; how could it not be? I didn't have the least clue you were..." Danny waved a hand, waiting for Steve to fill in the blanks.

"As queer as a three dollar bill?"

"Yes! No... I mean... are you?" Danny felt awkward, but they had been Steve's words, not his.

Steve swallowed from his beer, and then met Danny's eyes, his chin up the way he tended to hold it when he was on the defensive. "I've always been into guys, Danny. I just didn't say anything because it wasn't... current... until recently. Look, I like women too; you know that. I was seeing Catherine, although we've always been more like friends than your average relationship, I suppose. I'm not cheating on her either, if that's what you're thinking. She knows."

Danny shook his head, still confused, but let it go. He took a gulp of his own beer. "So this Pete? He's what? Your boyfriend?"

Steve pulled a face, but nodded, running a hand over his eyes. "Yeah, I suppose he is. We met a few weeks back, in a bookstore, of all places."

Danny's eyebrows rose, and he frowned thoughtfully. "That's impressive. What kind of bookstore would that be? One that sells 'Guns and Ammo Illustrated' magazine and books called 'How to Make an Explosive Device From a Cigarette and a Piece of Gum' by Charles Kaboom?"

"Charles Kaboom? That's the best you can come up with, babe? You're slipping."

Danny let his own lip quirk up at the smile the last sentence had been accompanied by. "Ah, it's late and I'm tired."

Steve huffed, but smiled at him evenly for a few moments before taking another swallow from his bottle. "So you're okay with this?" he asked, brows lowered like he still didn't trust Danny not to insult his choice further.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it." What else could Danny say? He wasn't the homophobe jerk he must have sounded when he first spoke tonight. "It doesn't make any difference to our friendship, if that's what you're worried about. Who you date – guy or girl – isn't a problem; it's your choice. Hell, introduce him to the team if you want; Kono and Chin would probably love to meet him too."

Steve shook his head. "No, not yet, I don't think."

"No? He seemed..." Danny frowned, trying to figure out exactly how to describe the kid.

"Young?"

Danny looked up, took a sip from his bottle and then grinned. "Young. But hey, if that's your thing... I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons why you like him apart from that."

Steve turned his head away, nodding, but there was something Danny couldn't quite put his finger on about his reaction; something uneasy about it.

"What?" he asked, hoping Steve felt comfortable enough to elaborate.

"Nothing." Steve wouldn't meet his eyes and Danny had to wonder exactly how invested Steve was in the relationship with this kid.

"You met in a bookstore; I _assume_ it's not just about sex," he couldn't help offering, like it was a dare.

Steve gulped the last of his beer and stood up, gesturing at Danny's bottle. "You done? I'd offer you another one, but I should call Pete. He'll be wondering if I have a black eye by now."

Danny downed the remainder of his own bottle and stood up, passing the empty to Steve as he reached for it. "You... _is_ it just about sex?"

"Jesus, Danny, could you let it go, for once?" Steve growled over his shoulder, dumping the bottles into the recycling bin outside the door. "You said I didn't have to tell you everything."

"I don't believe this. Seriously; it just doesn't compute. You run, you swim, you work out to burn off energy. You have Catherine – a living breathing, intelligent woman – for conversation and a decent relationship when you feel so inclined; granted that she's not actually here as often as you might like, so maybe your sex life suffers a little. But you choose a twenty year old male college student you met in a bookstore for casual sex? Even for you, isn't that some kind of a reach?"

"It's not just casual sex, Danny, okay? Don't... don't try to make this into something it's not."

Steve's face was redder than Danny had ever seen it, and it filled Danny with confusion, but he shrugged, letting it go. It wasn't his business, after all. Why did he have any right to comment?

"Okay, I'm sorry. It's none of my concern anyway. I should go. Thanks for the beer."

The whole encounter had been weighed down with difficulty and misunderstanding. Danny felt uneasy the whole way home, though he wasn't sure why. Steve's private life was his own affair, and if he chose some young guy fresh out for school for… sex and whatever else the relationship was, who was Danny to be offended or concerned by it?

~//~

"Hey Chin," Danny called out as he caught up to Chin Ho Kelly on his way out of the Palace the next afternoon. He continued as Chin slowed down to let him fall into step beside him, "You knew Steve before; back when he was in Hawaii as a teen, right?"

"Well, not really; I worked with his father. I probably met the guy a couple of times at his parents, but beyond that..." Chin shrugged, eyeing Danny curiously as they kept moving.

"Okay, so when you met up with him again, you know, when he asked you to join the team? I got the feeling you guys saw a bit of each other then, right? Apart from when all of us were together, I mean; outside of work?"

"Well, yeah," Chin replied, "What is this? You think I'm stealing your BFF or something?"

"No... uh, no." Danny shook his head, trying to think of some way to ask what he wanted to know. "I just wondered how much he told you about his personal life. I mean... did he ever give you any reason to believe he... how should I say this? That he maybe doesn't always bat straight?"

"Bat straight? Is that some kind of euphemism?" Chin stopped walking and turned to look right at Danny. "Or are you worried he's into something shady? He may not always follow the rules, Danny, but you know Steve better than anyone; he's one of the good guys. He's on your side; on _our_ side."

"Uh, yeah... I know that. I just..." Danny trailed off, biting at his lip. There was no real way to ask if Chin knew about Steve's bisexuality without asking outright, and he wasn't sure Steve would like him discussing it with other people, considering that Danny hadn't known until now.

"What are you getting at? That Steve's..." Chin stopped, squinting suspiciously.

Danny waved his hands dismissively. "No, never mind. It really isn't important. I'm sure it's fine; it's just me. Forget I asked."

"Okay," Chin agreed, nodding, though he didn't move straight away, watching as Danny walked back the way he'd come.

Danny turned back and smiled at him, giving a little shooing motion to encourage Chin to keep going wherever he was going. Christ, Steve'd kill him if he'd said the wrong thing.

~//~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve brings Pete to a kick-back session with the Five-0 team, to Danny's surprise

A couple of weeks went by; not the easiest of weeks, in Danny's mind, owing to the slight awkwardness that existed between him and Steve since he'd found out about Pete, but they'd managed at work without the discomfit being obvious to the others – or at least he hoped not. Neither Kono nor Chin had said anything to Danny, and Steve seemed relaxed enough around them. 

Danny hadn't spent much time in Steve's company away from work – not that he was avoiding social situations with him, exactly – as he'd been busy with Grace and moving into a new apartment. But it was Friday now, and Kono had suggested they all get together for a few beers to relax. Their latest case just happened to get wrapped up neatly on Thursday afternoon and once the next day follow-up and paperwork was done, there was no reason not to celebrate a tidy little victory after the last ten days of hard work to ensure its successful conclusion.

Chin had already said he was up for it. Danny nodded his own agreement; he didn't have Grace this weekend so it was a good way to spend a Friday night. They all turned to Steve, waiting expectantly.

"Sure, why not?" He smiled generously at Kono and then flicked a cautious glance in Danny's direction. "We could all use a little debriefing. Where?"

"You wanna play pool?" Kono asked. "We could meet at Hal's at seven?"

Steve's smirk curved up challengingly and Danny could almost believe things were back the way they'd been. "You got it. I might be a little late; I have something to do first."

"Something or someone?" Chin asked with a grin.

"That's classified," Steve answered, still smiling, but there was something about the way he looked at Danny that said he was still serious about not telling them anything about Pete.

Neither Chin nor Kono seemed to notice anything though, and Danny kept his mouth shut as they all finished up for the day. 

~//~ 

Chin was watching Danny and Kono battle out their third round of pool with his usual inscrutability and a dose of good cheer when Steve finally appeared, moving through the crowd from the bar with what looked like more than a whole round in his hands.

"Brah, you tryin' to catch up, or you invited friends along?" Chin asked, beaming widely as Danny turned from his winning shot to nod hello at Steve. 

Danny's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar young face behind Steve.

Steve could obviously see where Danny was focused, and he held his eye for a moment before answering Chin. "A friend. Figured one extra wouldn't be a big deal; you guys okay with that? But we did get a couple of extra beers to help us catch up; don't want to be too far behind, right?"

"Of course," Chin said graciously, taking the bottle Steve held out to him.

Kono was surveying the scene like she expected some hot woman to suddenly appear beside Steve, and Danny bit at his lip, curious as to what introduction Steve was intending to make. 

"So who is it?" Kono asked, her dimples on full, ignoring Pete who was hanging back far enough that it wasn't obvious he was with Steve.

Steve handed her a bottle and then turned to gesture to Pete to come forward. They didn't touch, but Pete stepped up next to him while Steve introduced everyone. "Guys, this is Peter Virtue. Pete, meet Kono Kalakaua, Chin Ho Kelly, and Danny Williams."

Danny shook Pete's hand in turn, without saying anything about having met him before, half-smiling at the ironic-seeming surname. It was interesting that Steve hadn't said who Pete was to him, but there was no particular reason why he should. No-one else commented on the lack of explanation. 

Danny studied Pete as he took his own beer from Steve and drank from it. Pete's expression seemed friendly enough as Kono asked him if he wanted to have a game of pool with her, but Danny had seen his quick glance in Steve's direction and Steve's warning look in return. Chin and Kono headed for the pool table, Kono leaning in close to Pete to ask him something, and Danny watched them for a second before taking a seat next to Steve on a row of stools several feet away from the game.

"You think that's wise?" Danny asked without looking at Steve, gesturing with his bottle towards where Pete was laughing at something Kono said as she racked up the balls.

"What? Bringing him here or letting him play pool with Kono?"

"If you don't want them to know... it's not gonna be long before Kono asks him one more question than he might be expecting. I assume you've pre-warned him, going by some of the looks and the careful distance he was keeping from you."

Danny felt Steve shrug beside him. "I've got nothing to hide. If they ask, he won't lie; neither will I."

Nodding, Danny drank from his beer again. "So you've changed your mind, then? Last I knew, you weren't going to introduce him."

Steve sighed. "Yeah, so I changed my mind. Look, Danny, I get that you're not exactly comfortable with me dating a guy fifteen years younger than me, but I wouldn't be the first one to do it, and I won't be the last. He's... he's more mature than a lot of older guys I've been with and I happen to like him. He likes me and we're not hurting anyone, so..." He shrugged again, turning towards Danny so that Danny felt he had to look at him. "Anyway, it's probably time I was honest with them."

Danny narrowed his eyes, thinking, and was a little stunned at the speed with which Steve looked away from him again, his vision resting on his young lover lining up a shot at the pool table. Danny followed his line of sight, watching Pete's relatively smooth shot and then raising his eyebrows at the light banter he could vaguely hear him exchange with Kono, and the laughter on all three faces across the room.

"He seems to be getting on pretty well with them," Danny said.

Steve looked at him again. "Don't sound so surprised. He's a good guy; he's intelligent, and thinks things through before leaping in – which you should appreciate – and he has a good sense of humor. Give him a chance."

"Thinks things through?" Danny couldn't help himself. "You mean he didn't leap into bed as soon as you crooked your finger at him?"

"Strange as you might find it," Steve replied evenly, despite the taunt, "He didn't think we should start anything at all. Probably for much the same reasons you've been at such pains to point out. I didn't push him either, if that's what you're thinking. I just... I couldn't stop thinking about him, and a few days after we'd first talked, I called him. He told me it was the same for him."

Danny gave Steve a quick glance, stunned at the strange feeling coursing through him, and then turned to see Pete's sparkling blue eyes aimed straight at Steve. The fondness in them was obvious, and Danny dropped his own eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"It's a lot more than just sex, Danny," Steve said, his voice low.

"Okay," Danny nodded, flicking his eyes back to Steve's face. 

Steve was still watching Pete, and Danny felt his chest tighten at the expression on his face. He turned away from Steve, letting his focus shift across the room again. Pete was lining up another shot and Kono was whispering something to Chin. As he watched, Kono and Chin both looked across at Steve with knowing expressions on their faces, and Danny felt his face heat up – in anger or shame, he wasn't sure which.

"Anyway, we should go over and talk to them before Kono pulls out any more pool shark moves," Steve suggested, finally managing to tear his eyes away from his boyfriend to look at Danny once more. He had one of his goofy grins on, and something inside Danny twisted, knowing it was because of Pete. "I forgot to warn Pete about her."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should have," Danny said, a lot more harshly than he meant to. Embarrassed at his own intolerance, he stood up and preceded Steve to the pool table.

"Hey Danny," Chin said as he approached, "Pete's got better moves than you. Seriously, he's holding his own here. And I say this with surprise and more than a little admiration, considering my cousin's prowess with a pool cue. Steve, where did you find this guy? Some hustler's training ground?"

Danny's eyes must have widened at the implication, and he blinked at Chin wordlessly before looking back to see Steve's reaction. He didn't exactly look easy, but seemed to laugh it off. "Nah, didn't even know he could play pool till tonight. If you're beating Kono," he directed at Pete, "I seriously under-estimated you, babe."

Danny swallowed hard at the easy endearment; the word that Steve had previously only offered to _him_ in front of the team.

And Pete hadn't seemed offended at all by Chin's comment. Obviously he'd taken it at face value, which – now Danny had had time to glance back at Chin to confirm from his expression that it hadn't been intended as any kind of jibe – was probably just as well. 

Pete laughed, stepping over to hand the cue to Chin before coming to stand by Steve. "Kono's good, Steve, but she didn't spend half her life with my Uncle Graham. He taught me how to hold a cue when I was seven, and I spent the next five years standing on a box and lining up shots he insisted on making more and more difficult every time I managed to sink a ball."

"Only five years?" Kono asked, looking impressed as she offered her own cue to Steve. "What happened after that?"

"I didn't need the box any more." Pete grinned, giving Danny a quick look before asking Steve, "So, you gonna show me what you've got? Kono says Chin's pretty good too. Think you can beat him? If you win, you can take me on."

Steve didn't speak for a moment, and Danny could almost see the thoughts in his head. The man couldn't resist a challenge, no matter that Danny figured he'd already done more than shown Pete what he had _and_ 'taken him on' before now.

"I'll get another round," Danny said, stepping away before the vision of Steve bending Pete over the pool table could overtake everything else in his head.

"I'll help," Kono offered, waggling her eyebrows. "We'll be back in time to see how that challenge ends, right, cuz?"

"I'm not sayin' anything," Chin replied, chalking up his cue and grinning at Steve and Pete.

At the bar, Kono turned to look back at the others. "You know, I was a little surprised at first," she told Danny, "but I'm beginning to see why he likes this kid."

Danny caught the barman's eye and asked for their order, then turned to watch the others for a moment too. He wasn't sure if she'd understood the relationship yet. "What do you mean?" he asked, noncommittally.

"He's young – obviously a lot younger than Steve – but... I figured hey, why not? Plenty of bigger age gaps exist. But you know, it's obviously more than just the pretty face for him, which is no less than you'd expect from our fearless leader."

"Oh." Danny handed some cash to the barman and picked up a couple of the bottles to hand to Kono.

"What, 'Oh', Danny? You didn't realize that's how it is?" She studied Danny's eyes, and then her tone changed. "I'm not telling you anything new, am I?"

"No. I happened to stumble across them... how shall I say... in a compromising position? At Steve's a couple of weeks ago."

Kono's eyes widened. "Oh, no. So you were shocked, I guess?"

"That's one way of describing it." Neither of them moved, though they had the beers in hand.

"So... do you see the other obvious thing?" Kono asked, sounding cautious.

Danny frowned, trying to puzzle out what she meant.

"You don't? Okay, perhaps I shouldn't say anything, then." 

She started moving away, but Danny stopped her with a hand to her elbow, moving to look at her properly. "What do you mean? You can't say that, and then just walk away. You know I'll only keep asking, right?"

Kono smiled innocently. "Danny, if you haven't worked it out... look, if you must know, part of my surprise was that it wasn't _you_."

"What?" Danny almost dropped the bottles he held, his mouth gaping. 

"You really haven't noticed? Danny, even Chin spotted it; you can't be that blind."

"Me? Kono... I... I... why would you think that? I'm not... I've never..." He faltered. _Had_ he ever looked at Steve that way? 

Kono looked at him with sympathy. "Okay, maybe not so much with you, Danny, although... maybe that's just me thinking too much. But Steve? He's always seemed more than just a little fond of you."

"Really?" Danny squinted at her in thought. "You think? I... I don't know what to say." 

He was genuinely at a loss for words. He'd never seen it; never thought Steve's friendship to be inspired by anything more than a mutual respect – for certain aspects of each other's personalities, it had to be said – and a genuine need to connect with people he felt were trustworthy and loyal. But... in retrospect, perhaps those were reasons enough for Steve to feel more. 

"Anyway," he got out after a few moments, "he's got Pete now, so it's irrelevant, right?"

Kono was still watching him carefully, but she nodded, smiling again, and Danny smiled back at her more easily.

"This is just between us, right? Don't want him to feel awkward being around me or anything."

"Oh, yeah, totally," Kono agreed, looking back over towards the pool table where Steve was just sinking a ball.

The rest of the evening went reasonably well, though Danny knew he was probably quieter than he normally was. Kono had given him a lot to think about, and as he watched Steve and Pete interact, he begrudgingly had to admit they did seem well-suited and happy together. He'd listened to the conversation going on more than joining in, and Pete appeared more intelligent and well-informed than he'd seemed the first time Danny met him, which if he thought about it logically, Danny knew he'd have to be for Steve to continue to be interested. But something about him still bothered Danny, and he had to assume it was the age difference; otherwise he couldn't figure it out.

By the time they'd all started making noises about leaving, he was almost relieved about heading home alone, though he couldn't stop thinking about what Steve and his young lover would be doing once they were at Steve's. They'd kept their distance physically all night, until they were leaving, when Danny noticed Steve's hand on Pete's lower back as they left the bar ahead of everyone else. The sight sent an odd feeling through Danny and he purposely looked away, cursing himself for feeling so uncomfortable about their relationship.

It was only when he was in the car on his way home and reliving his conversation with Kono when he decided 'the other obvious thing' Kono had referred to couldn't just be that it wasn't him. It had slipped by him in the confusion of Kono's supposition about Steve's interest in Danny. 

However obvious it was to her, he couldn't work out what she'd meant. Unlocking his door at his apartment, he pulled out his phone, desperate to know what she'd been referring to.

"Kono. What was _the other obvious thing_?" He launched into it without preamble, his curiosity overwhelming all niceties.

Her hesitance said a lot, though she obviously knew exactly what he meant. "Hey, Danny, didn't we just see each other a few minutes ago? You could have asked me then."

"Sorry; I just... come on. I need answers; you know me. I have to be able to add things up. At first I just thought maybe you were talking about Steve's... what you said about him being interested in me. But that's not all of it, is it?"

Kono's exasperated exhale was audible. "Pete. He's a lot like you. Or like I'd imagine you were at that age, you know?"

"Like me?" Danny asked, his eyebrows going up as he ditched his keys on the counter and sat down on the couch, rubbing his free hand over his face. "I don't see it."

"Okay, maybe not physically – or not obviously. He's a little taller and not as broad, but he's blond with blue eyes; he's got a killer smile and... anyway, it's more his manner. Look at the way he bantered with Steve; with all of us after a while. He's got that... I don't know... need to push for answers; not let anything slide, and that's so like you."

Danny shook his head, though Kono couldn't see. "You really think he's like me?"

"I saw it. I think Steve sees it too, and maybe... maybe that's why he likes Pete. I'm not saying..." She stopped and Danny could almost see her biting her lip. "It's not a bad thing, Danny. He wanted you; you're not available, so he found someone else with the qualities he admires. He seems happy; they both do. We should be happy for them too."

Danny sighed but didn't speak, holding the phone tightly and staring into space.

"Danny? You want him to be happy, don't you?"

"Yeah, Kono; yeah, I do. Sorry to bug you about this. Everything's cool now. Enjoy your weekend." He cut off the call and tossed his phone onto the side table, sprawling out on the couch and closing his eyes.

Steve should be allowed to date whomever he wanted, and Pete _did_ seem like a good guy. But Danny couldn't really see the similarity to himself and wasn't sure if it was flattering or not. Jesus, he had to let it go; get over his hang-ups about finding out all of this and get on with his _own_ life.

~//~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's relationship with Pete seems solid, and despite the fact that he seems like a good guy, Danny is still not feeling relaxed about it

And Danny did try. 

Work continued to have its ups and downs with the usual trials and tribulations; Steve being the same fearless leader, exasperating Neanderthal, and loyal friend he'd always been; even encouraging Danny to date a pretty Hawaiian woman they met on one of the cases, although that didn't last long. She was lovely and interesting and all the things Danny should want, but somehow he couldn't find it in himself to take it beyond a few dates.

In between getting shot at and chasing bad guys and complaining about Steve's driving – not to mention his questionable investigative methods and his even more questionable taste in music – things carried on pretty much as normal. The team would go out for drinks or dinner from time to time, sometimes bringing along partners – and Steve always had Pete with him. Danny tried telling himself there was no fault in that, although he always managed to leave early, or to avoid being too close when they started bantering the way he'd always been the only one to manage with Steve before. They called each other 'babe' and got increasingly closer, even touching each other casually and easily in front of the team eventually.

One night at Steve's, when Steve and Pete, Chin and Malia, Kono and Adam, and Danny by himself, were all there for a barbeque, Danny went into the kitchen for another beer, leaving most of the others outside. As he was turning to go back outdoors, he heard a noise in the living room and went through to investigate.

"Jesus..." he breathed, shocked into stopping as he was met with the sight of Steve and Pete locked in an intimate embrace. 

They didn't appear to have heard him and continued on with the kiss, Steve's hands cupping Pete's neat little ass as their lips and tongues moved in an erotic dance that Danny couldn't remember seeing anything remotely like before. He was spellbound, watching with pulse pounding as Pete's hands dug under Steve's t-shirt and exposed a sliver of inviting skin. Something low in Danny's belly stirred uncomfortably, and he couldn't deny the prickle of anger behind his eyes.

Danny gulped at his odd reaction, and stepped backward, desperate to escape before they saw him, but bumped into a shelf, dislodging something that landed on the floor with a thump. He froze as Steve's head turned toward him, one of his arms still around Pete, his lips damp and eyes wide. Pete looked even more stunned, but he didn't move away from where Steve held him against his body.

Danny couldn't help letting his eyes drop to crotch level, and although nothing was in his line of sight, he was fairly sure they were both more than a little turned on. Against his will, his own cock throbbed and tried to go hard.

"Sorry... sorry," Danny managed, his face hot with embarrassment. "Didn't mean to interrupt..." He turned away rapidly and moved back into the kitchen, picking up his beer bottle and swallowing half of it down before rolling the cool bottle against his cheek, eyes closed and his other hand holding the counter to steady himself as he berated his body for the betrayal.

"I should be the one saying sorry," Steve said from behind him.

Danny's eyes opened wide, but he didn't turn around. "No, it's your house; you can do what you like, or _who_ you like any time you want. I shouldn't have been wandering, even if it did sound like an intruder in there."

Steve moved nearer and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny tensed for a moment, but took a breath and turned around, letting Steve's hand fall away.

"With all of you here, it wasn't exactly polite. I'm sorry. We should have waited till everyone was gone."

Danny couldn't even think what to say. The whole thing had been more than disturbing, and a part of him was starting to wonder if there was another reason why he'd felt so strange about the relationship between Steve and Pete; a reason that was closer to what Kono had suggested about him and Steve than Danny had thought he'd ever be comfortable with.

"I don't like it," Danny said, not really aware he was saying it out loud.

"What?" Steve asked, his eyes darkening as a scowl formed on his handsome face.

Danny met his eyes, heart thumping. "Nothing. I... you and Pete are good. I... I should go."

Dumping the half-full beer bottle on the counter behind him, Danny tried to walk past Steve, but Steve caught his arm, holding it tight as Danny stopped to look at him again.

"No, you're not leaving so easily," Steve said, his voice taut with an emotion Danny wasn't sure he could identify. "What don't you like?"

"Look, Steve, I wasn't talking about you and Pete. I just... there's this thing in my head and I need to get rid of it."

"What the fuck? Because of what you _saw_ in there? Me and Pete? Jesus, Danny, you may not be into it yourself, but you could be a little more discreet about your distaste. We weren't expecting you to walk in. And... if it had been a woman with me, I bet you wouldn't have freaked like that."

Danny shook his head, his disconcertment turning rapidly to anger at Steve's reaction. "Okay, I freaked! Who wouldn't? I come over here for a barbeque; Chin and Kono are here with dates too; I'm the only one who hasn't got someone to go home with, and I come inside for a beer, for Chrissake. Not a visual display of how much your boyfriend turns you on; how you can't wait till your guests are gone before you practically _fuck_ the kid in front of me. _I_ was not expecting that. But..." He held a finger up in Steve's face. " _That_ is not what I'm talking about. Not everything is about _you_ and your big gay relationship and your hot young boyfriend and your big hands and your way-too-long eyelashes."

Steve's scowl turned into a puzzled look, and he let go of Danny. "My _eyelashes_?"

Danny closed his eyes and pressed a hand into them. He'd let his mouth run a little too far. Shit!

"What the fuck do my eyelashes have to do with it – or my hands for that matter – and what the hell are you talking about if it's not about how uncomfortable seeing us made you feel?"

Danny slowly moved his hand away from his face, licking at his lips to get past their dryness. "Where's Pete now?"

Steve shook his head slightly, gesturing in annoyance and more than a little confusion. "Upstairs."

"Ditch him. Just... please? I don't want you doing all those things with him that I'm picturing in my head, Steve." Anger was beginning to creep back into Steve's expression. Before it could take hold, Danny took a risk, finally understanding what his problem was. "I want you to do them with _me_."

Steve's mouth fell open and he blinked at Danny like he'd just materialized out of nowhere.

~//~ 

An hour later, back at his apartment, Danny's head was still ringing with the angry words Steve had said after Danny had made his declaration.

_"No, Danny... just_ no _! I'm in a relationship with Pete; I happen to care about him and I'm not about to ditch him just because you suddenly decide_ you _want me. Look, I have no idea what's going through your head right now and I don't think I want to. Go home, get some sleep and just... get over it. It isn't happening."_

He hadn't let Danny argue; he'd practically frog-marched him to the front door and shut him out, Danny's protests about not saying goodbye to the others completely ignored. Danny, too stunned and wound up from his own admission, hadn't tried to go back inside; he'd got in his car and left. 

Now, he was pacing in his living room, berating himself for his idiocy. Why should Steve listen to Danny, anyway? When had he ever done so before? Danny was crazy to think Steve would still be interested in him after all these weeks with Pete the Wonder Boy warming his bed, and playing the game of words and actions with him as deftly as Danny had ever done. The kid was younger, better looking, and probably more experienced with men in bed. Danny couldn't hope to compete.

He cringed, finally collapsing down on the couch and burying his face in his hands. Kono must have been mistaken about Steve's interest in him; he wouldn't have been so angry with Danny so quickly otherwise. 

Jesus, what _was_ he thinking?

Taking a long breath, Danny shifted, pulling the rug from the back of the couch over himself and scrunching down inside it, willing himself to sleep as he pulled the darkness over his head.

~//~

The next day was Sunday and Danny had a headache when he finally woke, cramped and uncomfortable on his couch. Stumbling into the bathroom to relieve his bladder, he cursed himself all over again for his foolishness last night; for announcing his feelings _now_ , of all the times he could have chosen in Steve's burgeoning relationship with Pete. 

He added a curse for being stupid enough to sleep on the couch when he had a perfectly good bed in his apartment. It had taken him long enough to find this place – one he could actually invite people to without shame – and now he had it, he should be making the most of its comfortable bedroom. A vague thought that he was punishing himself sprouted in his head, but he ignored that and went to put the coffee on.

By the time he'd taken some Advil for the headache, consumed his third cup of coffee and eaten a couple of slices of toast, he knew the only decent thing – the right thing – to do was to apologize to Steve. He got his phone out and looked at it for a moment, even going so far as to put his finger over the appropriate speed dial, but he didn't press it. He sighed and put the phone down. He should do this in person; not over the phone.

Showered and changed into jeans and a t-shirt, Danny got in the Camaro and headed for Steve's. As he pulled up outside, it occurred to him that Pete could still be there… or he and Steve could have gone out somewhere together. It was too late now; Danny was here, and wouldn't be able to relax until he'd seen this through. He could do it: be the better man and give in graciously. After all, there wasn't any point in trying to force Steve to do anything he didn't want to do. Danny knew that well enough from experience. 

There was no answer to Danny's knock on the locked door, but Steve's truck was there, so Danny was certain Steve was home. He couldn't know who was at the door though, and despite last night, Danny doubted Steve would avoid him, so he headed around the side of the house.

Steve was on the lanai, alone, cleaning the grill from last night's dinner. Danny hesitated before stepping out and coughing to draw Steve's attention away from his scrubbing.

"What do you want, Danny?" Steve scowled at him and turned back to what he was doing, although the grill looked spotless to Danny.

"Pete's not here?"

Steve huffed, offering Danny another dark look. "As it happens, no. But don't let that fool you into believing I feel any different than I did last night."

Danny held out his hands in surrender. "I don't expect you to change your mind. Look… about last night… I'm sorry. I had no right to spring that on you. You and Pete have been together a couple of months now-"

"Five. It's been five months, Danny, as I'm sure you probably realize, since that's how long it's been since you surprised us out here that night."

"Yeah, okay, five months." Danny knew exactly how long; how much incredibly longer than he'd hoped the relationship would last. "The thing is though..."

"Danny, I don't care, okay? Whatever it is you're trying to tell me or hoping I'll see – I don't care." He put the implement he'd been scrubbing the grill with down and wiped his hands on a cloth, turning to meet Danny's eyes with a serious expression in his own. "I know you disapproved from the start, and that Pete's age was a huge part of that, but finding out it was because you feel… _something_ … for me makes no difference. That ship sailed a long time ago; Pete and I have developed a good relationship and I'm happy with him. I'm not about to dump something that's working for a… a…" He waved a hand vaguely. "For a might-be-good situation with you."

Danny opened his mouth, thought better of what he'd been going to say and closed it again, turning away and taking a deep breath before he finally managed to speak. "Look, I came here to apologize. To tell you I should never have said what I did last night."

Steve looked stunned. "You did?"

"Hard though it probably is for you to believe; yes, I did." Danny gestured with both hands, barely managing to meet Steve's eyes. "I realize now that you… care for Pete a whole lot, and that anything I might have finally recognized I've been feeling for you isn't going to change that. If I'd thought about it sooner – way before you even met this guy, maybe – I could have talked to you then and we wouldn't be in this mess."

"I'm not in a mess, Danny," Steve said, folding his arms across his chest and looking down his nose at Danny.

"No, you're right; you're not." Danny breathed out an exasperated sigh and glanced across the water, away from Steve's cold expression. "It's me in a mess, as always."

"Look, Danny…" When he looked back, Steve's expression had softened, and he uncrossed his arms. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt in this; I just… I didn't imagine anything between you and me was likely, and then I met Pete. You've been around him enough; you can't seriously tell me he's not someone worth my time?"

Danny dropped his eyes again, shaking his head. "No, I can't. He's young, but he's…" He looked back up again, studying the expression in Steve's eyes. "He's exactly the sort of person you should be with. He's caring, funny, good-looking, intelligent; all that. And he's lucky to have you. I'm sorry I was such a jerk about you being with him, and I'm sorry I waited until last night to realize why I was doing it. I hope this won't affect the way we work together." 

It felt like Danny's whole world was receding; leaving him lost and alone down at the bottom of some endlessly growing pit, but he couldn't say he didn't deserve it. He started backing up, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I gotta go now."

"Danny…"

"No, Steve; don't!" He held up a hand. "Don't say anything. There's nothing to say, okay?"

Steve nodded briefly, and actually listened to him for a change.

The last view he had of Steve was him standing by the grill, something odd in his eyes that Danny didn't understand and really didn't want to analyze right now.

Danny had made his peace – said what he needed to say – and from this point on, he wasn't going to refer to any of it again. Maybe he couldn't stop from having some small measure of feeling deep inside him for Steve, but he could lock that away and forget about it, and everything would be fine. It wasn't like he'd ever acted on anything – aside from some foolish words that he'd apologized for – and if he pushed the whole thing aside now, it didn't have to affect his working relationship with Steve or, he hoped, their friendship.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out again slowly, Danny got into his car and drove away from what he hoped he'd never be foolish enough to ever want again.

~//~//~ 

END OF PART ONE


End file.
